Thanks Andrei, Rob. Bonsai design is all about design in harmony and balance, reverse tapering not always a problem for me, just like other "rules" as long as they don't distract the design... As the Chinese says, in certain extend, ugliness is a beauty..so in many cases, if we can handle the "defective" features well, we can turn them into the point of interest...

Rob Kempinski wrote:Good selection Robert. Will be nice in a year or so.

Andrei Darusenkov wrote:Robert, thanks! Excellent line and and a good way to avoid the reverse tapper!

Andrei - reverse taper isn't a big issue with such dramatic material. To me it adds to the charm of the specimen.

Rob, who said reverse taper was a big issue? I'm already converted. And by the way, in the final design there is none. To be more serious, in my view a long straight stretch of reverse taper is a problem even for dramatic material.. But not hopeless, I would definitely agree.